Subaru Forester Manuals 2010 Forester Owner’s Manual | Page 260

8-8 Driving tips Winter driving & Operation during cold weather Forcing a frozen door open may damage or separate the rubber weather strips around the door. If the door is frozen, use hot water to melt the ice, and afterwards thoroughly wipe the water away. Use a windshield washer fluid that contains an antifreeze solution. Do not use engine antifreeze or other substitutes because they may damage the paint of the vehicle. SUBARU Windshield Washer Fluid contains 58.5% methyl alcohol and 41.5% surfactant, by volume. Its freezing temperature varies according to how much it is diluted, as indicated in the following table. Carry some emergency equipment, such as a window scraper, a bag of sand, flares, a small shovel and jumper cables. Washer Fluid Concentration Freezing Temperature 30% 10.48F (−128C) Check the battery and cables. Cold temperatures reduce battery capacity. The battery must be in good condition to provide enough power for cold winter starts. 50% −48F (−208C) 100% −498F (−458C) Use an engine oil of proper grade and viscosity for cold weather. Heavy summer oil will cause harder starting. Keep the door locks from freezing by squirting them with deicer or glycerin. In order to prevent freezing of washer fluid, check the freezing temperatures in the table above when adjusting the fluid concentration to the outside temperature. If you fill the reservoir tank with a fluid with a different concentration from the one used previously, purge the old fluid from the piping between the reservoir tank and washer nozzles by operating the washer for a certain period of time. Otherwise, if the concentration of the fluid remaining in the piping is too low for the outside temperature, it may freeze and block the nozzles. CAUTION Adjust the washer fluid concentration appropriately for the outside temperature. If the concentration is inappropriate, sprayed washer fluid may freeze on the windshield and obstruct your view, and the fluid may freeze in the reservoir tank. ! Before driving your vehicle Before entering the vehicle, remove any snow or ice from your shoes because that could make the pedals slippery and dangerous. While warming up the vehicle before driving, check that the accelerator pedal, brake pedal, and all other controls operate smoothly. Clear away ice and snow that has accumulated under the fenders to avoid making steering difficult. During severe winter driving, stop when and where it is safe to do so and check under the fenders